Grothman: U.S. Military Isn’t Venue for Social Experiments and Political Correctness

WASHINGTON — Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Chairman Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) opened today’s hearing by emphasizing that the Biden Administration has pushed for progressive ideals to be infused into the military which are affecting military readiness and recruitment. Subcommittee Chairman Grothman warned that continued exploitation of the military for political purposes and social policy experiments will sew distrust among Americans in our armed forces. He closed by thanking the panel of experts testifying in helping subcommittee members shine a light on how these progressive ideologies are harming our men and women in uniform.

Below are Subcommittee Chairman Grothman’s remarks as prepared:

Thank you all for coming to today’s hearing and thank you to our witnesses for coming to testify on this important topic of military readiness.

I am proud to say that the United States has the best and strongest military in the world.

From our special operations to intelligence and reconnaissance, to our airpower strength, to our precision-strike capabilities—our military capabilities are in a league of their own.

We all know that the primary mission of the Armed Forces is to protect and defend the nation and our interests abroad.

However, the military is not the institution for social experiments and political correctness. 

This Administration seems to be willfully blinded by how its progressive ideals are affecting military readiness and recruitment.

Not once in the Biden Administration’s National Security Strategy released in October 2022 does it address the military recruitment crisis we are facing.

Today’s hearing will examine how the Biden Department of Defense has politicized the U.S. military and harmed its ability to quickly respond to threats to our nation. 

In 2022, the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps all fell short of their recruitment goals.

Despite lowering fitness standards, relaxing tattoo policies, and increasing recruiting bonuses, fewer and fewer young adults are joining our military ranks.

Meanwhile, the Biden Administration is more focused on how cadets at military academies use the correct pronouns rather than learn how to lead, work as a team, and defend our nation.

The Biden Administration thinks that servicemembers understanding “white rage”—as recently described by General Mark Milley, our highest-ranking military official—is more important than promoting cohesiveness throughout the armed forces.

Further, this administration has allowed active duty servicemembers to take time off from their duties to obtain sex-change surgeries and related hormones and drugs at the American taxpayer expense.

Legislation has been introduced in Congress that would stop the teaching of Critical Race Theory, or CRT, in the military, stop the millions of dollars flowing to the creation of diversity and inclusion offices, and would keep the thresholds high for physical fitness requirements by our combat forces.

Service Members within the ranks are speaking out about these issues, while military leadership continues to push the Biden Administration’s progressive agenda.

Data shows that most Americans still trust of our military, but this trust cannot be taken for granted.

The Biden Administration continues to exploit the military for political purposes and for experiments in social policy.

Today, our panel of experts will be able to shine a light on how these progressive ideologies are harming our men and women in uniform.

Again, I thank all of you for being here today, and I look forward to your testimony.